


Like Real People Do

by so_real



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Broke Witch!Seonghwa, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cultural Differences, Declarations Of Love, Dragon!Mingi, Feelings Realization, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Forest Spirit!San, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Kinda, Kissing, M/M, Matchmaker!Wooyoung, Matchmaking, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pixie!Hongjoong, Scholar Witch!Yeosang, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Siren!Jongho, Slow To Update, Soulmates, Stargazing, Strangers to Lovers, Werepuppy!Yunho, why am i uploading these but not the actual story smh, yes this is a very relevant plot point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21659389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/so_real/pseuds/so_real
Summary: What happens when you mix a hyperactive pixie who wants to discover the human world, a broke witch trying to get by, a couple of pining idiots, and throw in a bit of cool supernatural entities to spice it all up?Disaster, friendship, a pinch of romance, and magic, lots of magic.OrThe one in which Hongjoong is a pixie, Seonghwa can't physically say no to him, Woosang are Idiots, and the rest have front row seats to the magical drama unfolding in front of them. Someone even summoned popcorn.
Relationships: Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 41
Kudos: 176





	1. Daisies

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a thing
> 
> I have nothing to say for myself other than those pics of hongjoong with a flower crown caused this, and i think i was possessed half the time i was writing this. That being said, i really love this au, its my child and i would die for it.
> 
> The title is from the song by the same title by Hozier (god of lesbians and supernatural entities).
> 
> Thank you, as always to Mire and Micka youre the best
> 
> Enjoy!

The first time Hongjoong meets Seonghwa, he's upside down. 

Well, to be fair, Hongjoong is the one hanging from a tree branch by the backs of his knees, but one could argue that perspective is relative. In the end, it doesn't matter who's up or down when a lanky figure comes stumbling out of the bush and nearly bashes his head against Hongjoong's.

"Woah, careful there!" Hongjoong tries to steady this person, his hands flying out to stop their momentum. The stranger staggers back, holding onto the trunk of Hongjoong's tree, and runs a hand through his hair, drawing a sharp breath. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, just tripped over a root," he says. He looks up and seems to realize who he's talking to. Hongjoong watches amusedly as his eyes dart quickly around. "Are you aware that you're upside down?"

Hongjoong lets out a small snort. "I could ask you the same thing."

The stranger blinks, clearly not expecting the retort. He's cute, Hongjoong decides, even if his hair is too long and covers most of his eyes. He has a sort of awkward confused air about him that makes Hongjoong want to poke fun at him and protect him in equal parts.

"I- that's fair," the stranger says, fiddling with a pendant on his neck. "Do you- come here a lot?"

Hongjoong lets out a full laugh at that, throwing his head back as much as he can in his current position. "You could say so, yeah," he grins down at the boy. "Since I live here and everything."

The boys eyebrows quirk at that, and he looks around, as if looking for a house or something to that extent. "That's… nice," he says, definitely confused but not wanting to sound unkind. He's really, really cute.

"What about you?" Hongjoong asks, rocking leisurely back and forth. "Do you come here often? I don't think I've seen you around this part of the woods before."

"Oh! No, I-" he stops, fidgeting with the necklace again, and Hongjoong resists the urge to ask about it. "I was looking for herbs and kinda got lost," he finishes in a small voice.

That's when Hongjoong realizes something. "Wait, are you a human?"

The boy nods, scratching the back of his head. Hongjoong feels his face split in a grin as the boy's expression grows more and more confused. "Are you not?" he asks, and it's polite with a tad of curiosity. 

Hongjoong shakes his head, taking hold of the branch he's hanging from and leaping from it with a little flip. He lands gracefully on his bare feet in front of the boy, wincing internally when he realizes he barely reaches his shoulder. "I'm a pixie, at your service," he proclaims, mockingly courtsing. 

The boy's mouth makes a silent _O_ shape, his eyes widening under his bangs. "That makes sense," he says, nodding to himself. "You're not going to kidnap me, are you?"

Hongjoong laughs again, shaking his head. "We don't do that, that's fairies."

The boy seems to relax significantly. "That's good. I, uh, I'm Seonghwa, by the way," he says, bowing lightly. He's so cute, Hongjoong can't help but smile.

"I'm Hongjoong," he replies, rocking back on his feet. He examines the way Seonghwa's fingers nervously play with the latch of the satchel bag he has hanging from his shoulder. "This is peculiar-- I've never met a human before."

"Oh," Seonghwa breathes, and for the first time since they met, his lips quirk into something resembling a smile. It looks like it pains him to do so, and Hongjoong wonders whether it's something he does often. "Well, if it's of any help, I've never met a pixie before, either."

Hongjoong doesn't say anything, and instead walks a circle around him, studying his new discovery. Seonghwa's clothes look like they've seen better days. There's a rip on his pants, and the green of the coat he's wearing is faded. Hongjoong guesses he isn't one to judge, since pixie clothing consists of whatever rags or discarded clothes they manage to steal from humans, but he can't help but frown a bit. Seonghwa clutches his satchel like a lifeline as he turns his head to follow Hongjoong's movements with cautious eyes. 

"I'm not gonna eat you," Hongjoong jokes when he meets the other's eyes, which quickly look away. 

"Thanks. I wasn't sure, but I didn't know how to ask," Seonghwa says, and his voice sounds a bit lighter than it was before. He seems to debate something with himself before he looks back at Hongjoong with a reserved expression. "Can I ask you something?"

Hongjoong hums in affirmation as he steps closer to him, examining his ears. They're round at the tips and there's a little piece of what looks like shiny metal in the shape of a half moon in one of his lobes. Seonghwa stays very still and Hongjoong can hear him breathe in shakily.

"Well?" he prods, waiting for the question that never came. The shiny half moon appears to have been stabbed into Seonghwa's lobe, and Hongjoong wonders why would anyone want to do that.

"Do you think you can help me find my way back to the human side of the woods?" Seonghwa asks, and up close, his voice sounds nicer than it did from afar. It reminds Hongjoong of moonless nights, when you can see the stars best, and he wants to ask him whether he knows any sung spells, but he thinks this is not the time.

"Sure," he concedes, stepping back and taking a look at Seonghwa's face. His eyes are still hidden behind his hair, and now, his cheeks are flushed for some reason. Hongjoong wonders if it feels hot, and reaches out a hand to touch the boy's cheek. Seonghwa jumps a bit when his fingers make contact with his cheekbone (Hongjoong marvels at the fact that it _does_ feel warm), but he stays still outside of the way his eyes widen. "Your face is red," Hongjoong comments, and as if on cue, Seonghwa's cheeks get even redder.

"I- you're very close," Seonghwa croaks back, and Hongjoong doesn't understand why one thing would be related to the other.

"Yes, and? I said your face is red," he repeats, just in case Seonghwa didn't understand the first time. Who knows, maybe humans are hard of hearing.

"And I said you're very close," Seonghwa says again, his eyes not looking directly at Hongjoong. "It's… kinda weird."

"Oh!" Hongjoong exclaims, jumping back. He holds his hand to his chest, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, do humans not do that?"

Seonghwa rubs the back of his head again, looking anywhere but at Hongjoong. The red has spread from his cheeks to his ears, and Hongjoong is fascinated and worried at the same time. "Not usually… I- I guess you would with someone you're very comfortable with, but, uh, yeah, I just met you, and…"

"Oh, Gods, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Hongjoong hurries to clarify, distressed at the thought of having upset this human.

Seonghwa waves his hands in front of him a bit frantically. "It's fine! You didn't know, I'm not upset or anything."

Hongjoong lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"Yeah," Seonghwa agrees, giving him another awkward smile. His eyes dart towards the bush he stumbled out of and Hongjoong remembers his promise to help him make it back.

"Oh right! Come with me," he says, motioning the human towards the trees. Seonghwa follows him gingerly, looking relieved to be moving.

Hongjoong makes sure to leave at least a foot's distance between them as they walk, ensuring he doesn't step too close. The last thing he wants is to upset Seonghwa again. He asks questions, though, because it's a bit of a long walk, and Hongjoong is fascinated by any and all things human. Seonghwa is graceful enough to answer them, sneaking some of his own in between the never-ending stream of Hongjoong's excited talking.

By the time they reach the clearing where the humans go to eat on top of large blankets, Hongjoong has decided he really likes them.

"This is it," he says, stopping Seonghwa mid-explanation on what are the things he's wearing on his feet.

"Oh!" Seonghwa looks confused for a second and then just relieved. He turns to Hongjoong and gives him what Hongjoong thinks might be a genuinely happy smile. "Thank you so much."

Hongjoong makes a dismissive gesture with a smile of his own. "It's nothing."

"Well, uh-" Seonghwa looks towards the clearing and back to Hongjoong. "I guess I'll get going."

"Yeah," Hongjoong agrees, watching as the boy's feet shift awkwardly.

"It was… nice meeting you, Hongjoong," Seonghwa tells him, his fingers coming to brush the necklace. Hongjoong nods.

"You too," he says, feeling something weird in his chest when Seonghwa smiles again. He's not necessarily sad, but he's not happy either.

"Bye," Seonghwa waves, as he starts walking towards the clearing. It's surprisingly empty for the time of the year.

Hongjoong waves back at him, watching as his figure grows smaller and smaller as he walks. The weird feeling in his chest intensifies, and before he can register what's happening, he's running after the human.

"Seonghwa! Wait!" he calls, making the boy turn with a confused expression. Hongjoong stops in front of him, keeping the reglementary one foot distance. "I want to know more about the humans," he finds himself saying, and he hadn't planned on doing so, but he finds in his heart that it's true. "Would you teach me?"

* * *

"Watch your head," Seonghwa says over his shoulder as he steps into the attic he's been calling home for the past year and a half. Hongjoong walks in after him, ducking his head unnecessarily to avoid the low ceiling. He really is that short, Seonghwa realizes. 

"This is so cozy!" he exclaims, jumping a bit. His bare feet seem to be barely touching the ground, and Seonghwa is amazed at the fact that he's not freezing without anything on them. It's a bit strange, seeing him in his small attic. Hongjoong is no taller than a twelve-year-old kid, but for some reason, he looks like he takes up a lot more space than he does. Maybe it's the fact that he is a creature of nature, born to be outside in the woods, but Seonghwa gets a strange feeling looking at him standing in his tattered clothes in the middle of Seonghwa's living space.

"I guess," Seonghwa replies, looking away and deftly avoiding the ceiling rafters on his way to his desk. He gently deposits his bag there, pulling what little herbs he'd found before he lost his way. With a sigh, he lays them on top of the desk, telling himself he'll sort them out later. He leans against the desk, hands coming to rest by his sides. "If you like cramped spaces and bad heating. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Oh," Hongjoong looks back at him from where he'd been examining one of the charms Yeosang hung all around the attic. "I don't know anything about human drinks. I don't know what's customary."

Seonghwa, in spite of himself, finds a small smile making its way to his face. "I have water, usually people drink that," he says kindly. "Or I could make you some tea, if you want."

"Wait, I know about that!" Hongjoong bounces excitedly. "It's the leaf water thingy!"

Seonghwa chuckles, pushing up from the desk. "Yes, the leaf water thingy. Do you want to try it?"

"Can I?" Hongjoong asks, his eyes quite literally sparkling. Seonghwa wonders if that's a pixie thing or if Hongjoong really is just naturally this bright.

"Sure. I was going to make one for me anyway," he explains, walking over to the little kitchen area. 

The attic is small, but it has all the bare necessities; kitchen, bathroom with the smallest shower Seonghwa has ever had the displeasure of getting in, a bed, and a desk. It's all Seonghwa can afford with his miserable income, but it's more than enough for just one person. Seonghwa has never been high-maintenance anyway, and it's not like the heating lacks are a problem to him.

"Green or black with cinnamon?" he asks Hongjoong as he gets a couple of mugs. 

"What's the difference?" Hongjoong asks, and he sounds like he's facing away from Seonghwa. When Seonghwa turns around, he finds him staring intently at the little window on the ceiling right above the desk.

"Black has a stronger taste," Seonghwa tells him, watching as Hongjoong pushes up to his tiptoes to try and reach for the window's lock, his fingers falling just short of it. "But the cinnamon gives it a nice twist."

"Whatever you think I'll enjoy is fine," Hongjoong says with a little wave of his hand, looking through the herbs Seonghwa left on his desk but losing interest quickly. He then moves to the chair, crouching to look at its legs and pressing a finger to the padded seat.

"I'll make one of each so that you can choose which one you like the most," Seonghwa decides, trying not to laugh as Hongjoong startles himself when he pulls one of the desk's drawers open.

Seonghwa turns around, retrieving some tea bags from the cabinet, and pouring water inside the mugs. He grabs one with each hand, quickly heating them up, releasing them when the water quietly starts to boil.

"How did you do that?" Hongjoong asks, sounding a lot closer now. Seonghwa turns to find him standing a foot behind him, staring with wide eyes at the mugs on top of the counter.

"Oh," Seonghwa runs a hand through the back of his neck, feeling self conscious. "That's sort of my ability?" he says, lamely.

"Heating things up?" Hongjoong's eyes dart from his hands to his face, scanning it as if he can find the answer himself.

"Amongst other things," Seonghwa turns his attention to the tea to avoid looking at Hongjoong. "I can control fire, more or less? It's a lot more complicated than that, but I can also tweak the heat of stuff."

Hongjoong makes a soft humming noise, as if deciding whether he likes this new bit of information or not. "That's… quite dangerous," he says after a beat. Seonghwa looks up to find him staring with a stern face. It's so different from the lax, excited expression he's had until now that it makes Seonghwa worry a bit.

"I guess it can be," Seonghwa agrees, hating that he feels even more self-conscious now. "But I have it under control, don't worry."

Hongjoong nods before giving his head a little shake, his easy smile appearing in his face once again. He has one of those mouths that never quite close, Seonghwa notices, his lips always slightly parted as if they're seconds away from a grin or an awed exclamation.

"I believe you," he says, rocking back on his feet. It's almost like he can never be still for too long. "It's just that fire is never a good thing in the woods."

It suddenly clicks in Seonghwa's brain. Of course Hongjoong would be weary of fire. He lives in the woods, where even the smallest spark can lead to disaster. No wonder he'd looked so taken aback by Seonghwa's ability. For some reason, Seonghwa breathes out a sigh of relief at the thought that it's not him he's scared of, but rather what he can do.

"I get it," he says, giving him a smile back. Hongjoong's eyes twinkle. "I'm not really fond of it either."

Hongjoong makes a little surprised face as Seonghwa turns to take the tea bags out of the mugs. "Why's that?"

He doesn't ask things to be malicious, Seonghwa has noticed, he's just genuinely curious, but lacks the tact to know when whatever he's asking is a delicate subject or not. Looking at him, Seonghwa doubts there's an evil bone in his small body, but one can never be sure. 

Seonghwa shrugs. It's not that he dislikes talking about his ability with people, it just so happens that it usually makes him uncomfortable. "I just prefer other types of magic, you know? I studied herbology and summonings at uni."

"What's uni?" Hongjoong asks, gently taking one of the mugs Seonghwa offers him and bringing it up to his face to sniffle it. His nose scrunches up a bit, but Seonghwa doesn't think it's a bad scrunch. It is an adorable one, though.

"University? Like, higher education?" he finds himself grappling for words to explain. He feels as lost as Hongjoong, knowing virtually nothing about pixie culture. "Do pixies have schools?" he asks, before he can stop and realize that it's perhaps a bit of an insensitive question.

But Hongjoong simply nods, shrugging a shoulder. "More or less, some of the eldest pixies teach the younglings, but I don't think you could call it a _school_ ," he says, taking the smallest sip of his tea. He blinks twice in surprise before glaring at the mug. "This is really hot!"

Seonghwa can't help it, he lets out a small chuckle at Hongjoong's offended expression. The pixie redirects his glare from his tea to Seonghwa, only making him laugh harder. Hongjoong's expression immediately softens, and he pouts, but Seonghwa can tell it's all for show.

"You gotta wait a bit," Seonghwa explains, laughter still dancing in his voice. 

"Yeah, well, thanks for telling me," Hongjoong says petulantly. Seonghwa laughs again. He reaches for Hongjoong's mug and lowers its temperature until what he hopes is a drinkable one.

"Here," he grins at Hongjoong's puzzled expression. "Now, this is cheating, but we'll excuse it in the name of science. Try it now."

Hongjoong stares at him with a suspicious face for another second before he brings the mug to his lips again and takes another small sip. His eyes immediately widen and he takes another, bigger sip. "This is good!" he informs Seonghwa, mirth dancing in his irises. Seonghwa simply nods, interchanging the mug for the one he's holding and applying the same process to it.

"Now try this one," he prompts. This time, Hongjoong takes no time in excitedly gulping down the tea. His face, however, scrunches up again, and this time, it is clearly a bad scrunch.

"No, no, I don't like this one," he shakes his head, sticking his tongue out and making a little face. He pushes the mug towards Seonghwa, making grabby hands for the other one.

Seonghwa wordlessly changes their mugs again, smiling softly when Hongjoong takes a big sip of the black cinnamon tea and sighs contentedly. "It's settled then, no green tea for the pixie."

Hongjoong nods, smiling gratefully up at him. It's a nice smile, Seonghwa decides, one he wouldn't mind seeing often. "I like this one, though," he says, lifting the mug a bit. Seonghwa nods, sipping on his assigned tea.

"Noted."

They stand in silence for a bit, both just drinking their teas. Seonghwa would have expected it to be uncomfortable, but it's surprisingly easy to stand in his tiny kitchen with this pixie he met only a few hours ago. It feels a bit surreal, but at the same time, there's a feeling of _rightness_ all around him. Seonghwa can't quite explain it, but he's certain his and Hongjoong's paths were meant to cross. Maybe he should ask Wooyoung about it, although the thought of having his friend meddling makes him wince a bit.

"What is it?" Hongjoong asks, making him look up. At Seonghwa's confused expression he clarifies. "You made a face like you weren't happy."

"Oh," Seonghwa brings a hand up as if to touch his face, and then realizes how pointless that is and lowers it. "I was just thinking about my friend Wooyoung."

Hongjoong tilts his head a bit. "Is he not a good friend?" he asks delicately, and for the first time, his voice is laced with something akin to contempt.

Seonghwa starts at that, laughing awkwardly. "No, he's a very good friend!" he hurriedly explains, watching as Hongjoong's expression brightens again. "He's just very nosy."

Hongjoong nods, sipping on his tea again. He holds the mug with both hands, which Seonghwa realizes now are ridiculously small. His fingers are dainty and thin, like the rest of him. It's oddly fitting.

"He's a matchmaker," Seonghwa explains, feeling the need to justify his friend. "It's in his nature to get involved in other people's lives."

"Matchmaker as in…" Hongjoong starts, his eyes telling Seonghwa he wants to ask another question but doesn't know exactly how.

"He helps people get together," Seonghwa supplies, smiling over the brim of his mug. "You know, romantic styles."

Hongjoong's mouth falls open in awe. "He makes people fall in love?"

Seonghwa chuckles, endeared by Hongjoong's wide-eyed approach to everything. "Not exactly. He can't make people fall in love, but he can help them find each other? He makes matches, like the name says."

Hongjoong's eyebrows furrow in concentration. "I don't get it," he confesses. 

"It's fine, I'm probably doing a shit job of explaining it," Seonghwa comforts him. "I'll introduce you to him so that he can explain it better, okay?"

Hongjoong perks up at the prospect, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, I wanna meet more humans."

Seonghwa smiles good-naturedly at him. "I'll introduce you to all my human friends," he promises, earning himself a blinding smile.

"I look forward to it," Hongjoong assures him.

* * *

Seonghwa picks up his phone as he makes the walk back from the edge of Hongjoong's forest after having bid him goodbye with the promise of meeting him there again the next morning. The time tells him Yeosang is probably done with his afternoon lectures, which means he won't be as bitchy about a phone call as he'd otherwise be. Smiling lightly, Seonghwa presses his contact and brings his phone to his ear, ready to get sassed.

"I was kinda wishing you'd gotten kidnapped by fairies in the woods and I wouldn't have to deal with you anymore," Yeosang says in lieu of hello.

"It's nice talking to you too, Yeosang," Seonghwa retorts, just as bitchily.

"I _know_ ," Yeosang says, and Seonghwa can practically see the eyeroll. "Did you have fun in the woods?"

"I didn't get kidnapped by fairies," Seonghwa replies, waiting at a red light. He hears Yeosang mutter a low _damnit_ under his breath and stifles a laugh. "But I did meet a pixie."

"I'm sorry, come again? You met a what?" Yeosang asks, and he sounds more serious now.

"A pixie," Seonghwa kicks a pebble as he takes the long way home. He feels like walking anyway. "His name is Hongjoong, he wants to learn about the humans."

"Hongjoong… wait you're not pulling my leg here, are you?" Yeosang says.

Seonghwa lifts an eyebrow despite the fact that Yeosang can't see him. "Why would I be trying to prank you?"

"I'm not allowed to say," Yeosang says, and Seonghwa knows if they were face to face, he wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Is this one of Wooyoung's weird things again?" Seonghwa asks, because it's always one of Wooyoung's weird things.

"He made me promise I wouldn't tell you," Yeosang says like he's pouting. Knowing him, he probably is.

Seonghwa steps to the left just in time to get out of the crash trajectory of a little girl with glittery wings that zooms past him. Behind her, her mother rushes after her, apologizing to Seonghwa, who just smiles at her and shakes his head. 

"But you're gonna tell me anyway because you can't physically keep a secret," Seonghwa finishes for him. Yeosang sighs.

"A few weeks ago, Wooyoung had a dream involving you and what he called 'pixie dust'. Now, I don't know how trustworthy that is, because his dreams tend to be blurry at best, but he said these two things were very clear. Is pixie dust even a thing? Isn't it fairy dust?"

"What makes you think I know?" Seonghwa asks. "Aren't you supposed to be the scholar?"

Yeosang scoffs, like he does every time someone calls him something like that. "I'm not the one who's met a _pixie_."

"Why does this sound like an accusation?" Seonghwa demands. Why is he being judged for things he can't control?

"I don't know, do you plan on falling in love with him?" Yeosang shoots back, making Seonghwa nearly trip over his own feet.

"Why would I do that?!" 

"Wooyoung dreamed about it," Yeosang says, like it explains it all.

"Wooyoung's matches aren't always romantic," Seonghwa reminds him. Most of them are, but he also helps people find friends or platonic partners. "He didn't dream I'd fall in love with Hongjoong, did he?"

"You know it doesn't work like that, he's not a psychic," Yeosang huffs. 

"Exactly," Seonghwa replies, triumphant. "He just dreamed about us meeting, and we did."

"I guess," Yeosang doesn't sound very convinced, but he sounds like he'll drop the topic if steered somewhere else. "Are you gonna meet the pixie again?"

"His name is Hongjoong," Seonghwa reminds him. "And yes, I'm helping him learn about human stuff."

"Is he cute?" Yeosang asks suddenly. Seonghwa stops where he's fetching his keys in his pocket.

"Why would that matter?"

He can hear Yeosang's shrug. "I don't know, just curious."

"Are you interested? What happened to 'this is the year I finally woo Woo'?" 

Yeosang makes a noise like he's choking. "I was very drunk when I made that statement. And Wooyoung doesn't pay me any more mind than he does a doorknob, so maybe it's time to expand my horizons."

"That's such bullshit," Seonghwa shakes his head as he lets himself inside the building. "Maybe if you actually tried _talking_ to him."

"And said what? He's constantly bitching about how ironic it is that he's a matchmaker who can't find love," Yeosang says, bitterly.

"I mean, it is a bit ironic," Seonghwa comments, biting back a smile.

"If you were here I would kick you," Yeosang threatens.

Seonghwa laughs going up the stairs. "I know. But seriously, I don't need to be a matchmaker to see you guys are made for each other. So what if Wooyoung's dumb? Last time I checked you were pretty smart. Make him see."

Seonghwa has given some different version of this speech at least a thousand times. But it's so painfully obvious that his friends are in love with each other. If only they'd stop beating around the bush and _talked_.

“We’ll see,” Yeosang sighs again. Seonghwa resists the urge to bang his head against the nearest wall. “Do we get to meet the pixie?”

And Seonghwa can see the attempt at changing the topic, but decides to be lenient for once and lets it slide. “Hongjoong. And yes, he actually wants to meet you guys for some reason. Maybe because he doesn’t know anything about you yet.”

“Wow rude,” Yeosang berates. “Poor pixie, you’re the only referent he has, I feel sorry for him.”

Seonghwa lets out a disbelieving breath. “Who’s being rude now?”

“I’m right and I should say it,” it’s all Yeosang says. Seonghwa shakes his head as he lets himself fall on top of his bed. He eyes the pile of herbs on top of his desk with a sigh. _Later_ , he tells himself.

“Whatever,” he retorts. Sometimes he wonders why he bothers being friends with Yeosang’s bitchy ass and then he remembers it’s because he’s the only person who tolerates his own bitchy ass. “I’ll take him to Wooyoung’s shop tomorrow around noon. I know you don’t have any lectures, so be there.”

“Yes, dad!” Yeosang mockingly sing-songs. He’s so annoying, he and Wooyoung truly are made for each other.

“Shut up,” Seonghwa hisses. “Just be there.”

“I will, I wanna meet the pixie."

"Hongjoong," he corrects.

"I think I'll keep referring to him as your pixie in my head," Yeosang chirps, fake-sweet.

"I hate you so much," Seonghwa tells him, truthfully.

"Love you too," Yeosang sings again, and hangs up on his face.

"Bastard," Seonghwa mutters, glaring at his phone like it can somehow transmit the feeling to Yeosang in the other side of the city. 

He sighs, letting his head fall back against the pillows, and allows himself a few moments of self pity before he snaps back into it. Those herbs won't sort themselves.

* * *

To say Hongjoong is excited to meet new humans is an understatement.

Ever since Seonghwa met him at the edge of the woods, waving awkwardly and fidgeting with his bag before urging him on, he's been practically bouncing on his feet, trailing after Seonghwa and asking him questions non-stop.

He nearly has to run to keep up with the human's long strides, but he doesn't mind, because it's an outlet for all his pent-up excitement.

He learns that Wooyoung, the friend Seonghwa mentioned yesterday, runs a little shop where he does his matchmaking business, and that sometimes Seonghwa helps him out with potions. He also learns that love potions that make someone fall in love with another person are illegal, and that that's how you know Wooyoung is the real thing, because he doesn't need those to make people find their soulmates. Wooyoung also apparently lives with his best friend, Yeosang, 'and those two idiots are in love but won't realize'. Seonghwa's words, not his. 

"Does Yeosang also work at the shop?" Hongjoong asks, skipping to keep up with the other's pace.

"No, he works as a professor," Seonghwa tells him, looking at Hongjoong and seeming to realize he's practically running. "Am I going too fast?"

"A bit, yeah," Hongjoong breathes, relieved when Seonghwa slows his pace to accommodate him. "Short legs," he complains.

Seonghwa laughs then, for the first time all day, and Hongjoong feels a sense of accomplishment for some reason. Seonghwa doesn't look like someone who laughs or smiles often, so Hongjoong makes it his personal challenge to make the human laugh as much as he can.

"I did some research, and I think you're actually quite tall, for a pixie," Seonghwa comments, bracing him with a hand when Hongjoong doesn't realize he has stopped walking and keeps going. He looks at him confusedly and Seonghwa points to the big mechanical things (cars?) in front of them, which start moving shortly after.

"Yeah, I've always been taller than most of my peers," Hongjoong says, with a tad of pride. "But I guess that still makes me too short for the humans."

Seonghwa shrugs, smiling a bit at him. "It's cute, if it makes you feel better."

Hongjoong considers it. "I guess. I suppose it makes me look like a child, right?" He knows most humans say pixies have what they call 'a child-like beauty', has heard it from some older pixies.

"A bit, yeah," Seonghwa agrees. "Especially considering the…" he trails off, making a little gesture towards his own face. Hongjoong cocks his head, confused. Seonghwa huffs out a breath, frustrated because he didn't understand his vague explanation. "You know! You have cute cheeks," he says, and his own cheeks turn red again.

Hongjoong brings his hands to his face, squishing said cheeks. "I guess I do," he muses. He'd never considered it before, the fact that his chubby cheeks might be considered cute. All pixies have them. "You don't," he observes, looking up at Seonghwa as he starts walking again.

Where Hongjoong is all soft flesh and round cheeks, Seonghwa has sharp cheekbones and his cheeks look too thin, as far as Hongjoong is concerned. He wonders if his human friend eats enough.

Seonghwa hums in acknowledgement. "I don't," he says. "I don't think I've had chubby cheeks since I was a kid."

"Were you cute?" Hongjoong asks, genuinely curious. He is cute now, but it's a kind of cute that has more to do with how awkward he is than with how he looks. It's difficult to imagine Seonghwa, with his stern eyes and sharp features, as a round-cheeked baby. 

His question pulls a snort from the human. "I wasn't too bad, I guess. I'll show you some pictures if I find them."

That sparks Hongjoong's curiosity again. "Pictures!" he exclaims. "I've heard about those! Do they really steal a piece of your soul?"

That makes Seonghwa stop again, giving him a disbelieving look. "Not unless the camera is cursed," he says, as if trying to assess whether Hongjoong is kidding or not.

Hongjoong nods seriously. "I figured it must be fake, but better make sure, right?"

Seonghwa gives him a funny look as he resumes his walking. "I keep forgetting you don't know like, basic stuff."

Hongjoong huffs. He stares at him with his most convincing glare. "Hey! I do know some stuff!"

"You do," Seonghwa concedes, giving him a crooked smile. Hongjoong finds himself returning it even when he doesn't want to. "It's just funny, seeing what you do and don't know."

"Well, I'm glad we're both having fun, then," Hongjoong teases, just to see if he can make Seonghwa smile again. The human just nods, that little smile on his lips again. It feels nice.

"Yeah, it's cool," he says, before he stops walking again. Hongjoong thinks he's done something weird again, but then Seonghwa turns to his right and points to the shop in front of him. "This is it."

Wooyoung's shop is a little establishment squished in between a place where there are lots of depictions of houses in the window and a big doorway with a sign that reads 'supermarket' on top of the door. It consists of a tall window pane with images of happy people and some herbs hanging in bundles from the ceiling, along with some crystals Hongjoong recognizes, and some others he doesn't. The letters on the window simply state _Matchmaker_ in an unobtrusive font, a smaller line underneath informing the passersby that the business started over a century ago.

"Do you wanna go in?" Seonghwa asks, and Hongjoong jumps when he realizes he's closer than the one foot reglementary distance.

"That's what we came here for, right?" he says, smiling nervously up at him. He doesn't know why he's suddenly nervous, but the prospect of meeting other humans makes him all jittery. It's a good kind of jittery, though, a 'can't sleep because you're excited' jittery.

"Right," Seonghwa says, returning his smile, albeit a tad awkwardly. He makes to push the door open but stops himself before he reaches the metal knob. "Just a warning, though. Wooyoung is lovely, but he can be a bit… too much at times. He doesn't mean to be insensitive but he sort of can't help it, so I apologize in advance for anything he might say that could make you uncomfortable." He seems to consider it, and after a second, he adds "You know what, extend that to Yeosang, too, he's an asshole sometimes."

That makes Hongjoong laugh, a giggle coursing through him as he shakes his head. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he assures the seemingly concerned human. Seonghwa simply hums.

"Don't say I didn't warn you afterwards," he mutters, and pushes the door open. A little jingle is heard, although Hongjoong can't see any bells anywhere near it. Inside, it smells oddly familiar, like wildflowers and warm earth.

"Just a second!" a sweet voice calls from the depths of the shop. Hongjoong can spot a light-haired figure crouched over what looks like a big cauldron in a fireplace at the back of the room.

"It's us," Seonghwa calls back, walking over to the counter. Hongjoong follows him, inspecting the little herb bundles on his way. "Do you need help with that?" Seonghwa asks when they reach the counter.

The silver haired boy lifts his head, letting out a relieved sigh when he sees who it is. " _Please,_ " he begs, plopping down on the ground with his legs extended in front of him. Seonghwa shakes his head fondly and rounds the counter to go crouch beside him.

"When will you learn to start a fire?" Seonghwa asks, but his tone is light. He snaps his fingers and a little flame appears in his palm. Hongjoong jumps, slightly hiding behind the counter while he watches in awe as Seonghwa twirls his fingers, the flame waning until it's a small flicker dancing on top of his index finger. He reaches for the pile of wood under the cauldron with it, and then _flicks_ the flame onto it, a small fire immediately lighting up. 

"When that stops being impressive," the boy replies, grinning unabashedly at him. Seonghwa rolls his eyes, pushing the boy playfully. The boy rolls on his back with the momentum, and his eyes land on Hongjoong still peeking from his hideaway behind the counter. "Ooh, who do we have here?" he coos, sitting back up with a flourish. "Don't hide, I don't bite. Most of the time."

Behind him, Seonghwa lets his head fall back with an exasperated groan. "Christ's sake, Wooyoung."

 _So this is Wooyoung!_ Hongjoong thinks, shyly standing up and giving him a sheepish smile. "I'm Hongjoong," he introduces himself. Wooyoung leaps to his feet, hurrying to lean against the counter in front of Hongjoong. Up close, he notices Wooyoung's eyes are a deep violet so dark he'd thought it was black.

"Hello, Hongjoong," he says, with a big smile. His voice is very sweet, and it reminds Hongjoong of the sound of the rain hitting the leaves. "I'm Wooyoung, I make people fall in love."

Hongjoong frowns, looking over Wooyoung's shoulder at Seonghwa, who is hiding his face in his hands behind him. "You said he couldn't do that."

"Because he _can't._ He's just being extra," Seonghwa tells his hands.

Hongjoong directs his attention back to Wooyoung, who smiles at him apologetically. "I really can't," he confesses. "I just put people on the right path to find who they're looking for."

"You make matches," Hongjoong says, tentatively, remembering what Seonghwa said yesterday. Wooyoung's eyes light up.

"Yes!" he exclaims, his nose scrunching when he smiles. "Like Tinder, but better."

Hongjoong cocks his head. "Tinder?" 

"You know, the app?" Wooyoung poses. Hongjoong feels his face scrunch up in confusion.

"What's an app?" he asks, and unlike when he asks Seonghwa, he's starting to feel dumb for not knowing.

"He hasn't seen a phone in his life, Woo, don't pester him," Seonghwa says, making his way to the counter and hopping on it. He turns to Hongjoong, and his soft eyes make him feel a little better about the entire situation. "This was gonna be the next thing I showed you," he says gently. Hongjoong nods, watching as he retrieves something from his bag.

It's a small rectangle with a slick, black surface. Seonghwa lays it on the countertop in front of him and gives him a small smile. "Press this," he instructs, pointing at a little round shape at the bottom of the rectangle. Hongjoong looks at him with contempt for another second, but Seonghwa simply smiles and makes a little 'come on' gesture at him.

Lifting his hand, Hongjoong rests the pad of his index finger on the round shape, pressing it slightly. It gives under his finger, and the entire surface of the rectangle comes to life suddenly. Hongjoong jumps back with a yelp, cradling his hand to his chest, despite the fact that it doesn't feel any different than it felt two seconds ago. He looks up from the rectangle to the humans. Seonghwa is smiling softly at him while Wooyoung looks like he's holding his laughter in. 

"Hongjoong," Seonghwa starts gently, making Hongjoong's gaze snap back to him. "This is a phone."

"What does it do?" Hongjoong asks, finding curiosity start to replace his fear. Neither Seonghwa nor Wooyoung look any threatened by the self-lighting rectangle, so he guesses it can't be bad.

"Many things," Seonghwa explains, taking the rectangle (the _phone_ ) in his hands. He beckons Hongjoong closer with a hand, and the pixie retraces the two steps back he'd taken. Seonghwa turns the phone so that it's facing Hongjoong, showing him a depiction of a tiny, stern-looking Seonghwa next to a tiny, beaming Wooyoung next to another tiny, unimpressed-looking boy. This must be a picture, Hongjoong muses. "Its main function is to make phone calls, though."

"Wait, let's show him," Wooyoung interrupts him, producing a similar looking phone. He does something with it, and suddenly the image on its surface is moving and displaying a list of names. He turns to Hongjoong, making sure he has the pixie's attention. "Let's say," he begins, "that I need to tell Seonghwa something really important. But I'm here, and he's home. And I don't really feel like walking all the way there, right? So I come here," he shows a tiny list of names to Hongjoong. The phone reads _Favorites_ . His finger hovers over a tiny _Hwa_ just under another name that's followed by a little red drawing. 

Hongjoong nods, signalling he's following. 

"Right, so I come here and I tap his number," Wooyoung says, his finger coming to touch Seonghwa's name on the surface of the phone. The image changes again, and suddenly, Seonghwa's phone bursts to life where the other human is holding it. Hongjoong gasps, watching as the phone lights up again, apparently vibrating in Seonghwa's hand.

"Now Seonghwa's phone is telling him I want to speak with him, see?" Wooyoung points to the phone, where little letters read _Woo_ atop a little circle that keeps jumping.

"Then, if for some unfathomable reason I want to speak to Wooyoung, I slide this upwards," Seonghwa explains, following the motion of the little circle with a finger. The image changes again, and Seonghwa extends the phone to Hongjoong, who accepts it with weary hands. "Put it to your ear."

Hongjoong does as he's instructed, slowly bringing the phone next to his ear. Seonghwa reaches over, taking his hand and gently instructing him how to properly hold it. Hongjoong tries to focus on the press of the phone against his ear instead of how warm and big Seonghwa's hands are. Wooyoung mimics his gesture in front of him, and speaks.

"Now we can speak even though we're far apart," he says, and Hongjoong's mind is blown away because he can hear it both in front of him and in his ear. His shock might show on his face, because Wooyoung laughs, the high pitched giggle sounding distorted through the phone. "Man, he's so cute!"

Hongjoong pulls the phone away from his ear, handing it back to Seonghwa with a little frown. Seonghwa simply takes it, pressing something else and putting it back in his bag when the phone fades back to black. 

"It's a lot, right?" he asks, gently. Hongjoong nods, feeling like his head is going to burst from all the new information. Seonghwa nods too, looking sympathetic. "I figured it might be."

"It's fun, though," Hongjoong hurries to add, giving him a smile. "And I'm learning a lot!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Seonghwa says, and his eyes crinkle slightly when he smiles back. "It's good to hear I'm not useless."

Hongjoong is about to scold him for thinking he could be useless when the front door opens with a jingle again. Turning around, Hongjoong sees a boy with light brown hair and big, dark eyes. He stands at the door for a second, taking their set-up in before he walks to them with a small sigh. 

"Yeosangie!" Wooyoung chirps, grinning widely at him. The boy (Yeosang, Hongjoong guesses), waves at him with a dismissive movement of his hand. "You finally woke up."

Yeosang grunts, reaching the counter and leaning against it, resting his chin on his hands. He looks up at Seonghwa from this position. "This better be good," he says, in a deep voice that makes Hongjoong think of the rolling sound of thunder. "You know I don't like getting up early on my day off."

Seonghwa reaches for his forehead with a finger, pushing it lightly in reprimand, but his eyes are impossibly soft. "It's almost noon," he chides. He turns to Hongjoong then, looking at the pixie with a somewhat apologetic face. "Hongjoong, this is Yeosang."

Yeosang turns his head, too, staring at Hongjoong with those big eyes. Staring into them, Hongjoong gets the feeling of being very, very small. "So you are Seonghwa's pixie."

"Uh," Hongjoong makes a little confused sound, looking at Seonghwa for guidance. He doesn't quite like how that sounds, but he's not familiar with how human relationships work. Seonghwa lets out a huff, his bangs moving with the sharp exhale.

"He's not _my_ pixie, you asshole," he says darkly, poking Yeosang's head. To Hongjoong he says "I'm sorry, he's just a bastard."

"Well, you know what they say," Yeosang comments, his eyes twinkling dangerously "birds of a feather..."

That makes Seonghwa laugh, a genuine one that makes him throw his head back as he shakes with it. Hongjoong notices both Wooyoung and Yeosang looking fondly at him, and has the feeling these three mean a lot to each other. He kind of feels out of place.

"Ah no," Wooyoung interjects, grinning wickedly "speak for yourselves, I'm baby."

Both Seonghwa's and Yeosang's heads snap in his direction so fast Hongjoong thinks they pulled something.

"You're the most feral bastard I've ever met," Seonghwa says, deadpan. Yeosang nods fervently.

"You once got so drunk you proposed to a tree and started crying when you saw it was losing its leaves," he adds.

"Didn't he also put mushrooms on it because he said it would grow like that?" Seonghwa asks, his eyes shining under his bangs. Hongjoong laughs, hiding his giggle behind his hands, and Seonghwa gives him a half-smile.

Wooyoung's face is a deep shade of red. Hongjoong wants to touch it to see if it’s warm like Seonghwa’s had been, but he doesn’t think he’s allowed to. "Fuck off, those mushrooms were for a potion and cost me a little fortune."

"You did this to yourself," Yeosang points out, looking bored. Hongjoong notices, though, that that's just his default face. His dark eyes dance with amusement even if his factions don't betray a thing.

"Yeah, whatever," Wooyoung mutters, his cheeks less red now, but still very flushed. "Hongjoong, how are you finding everything so far?"

Hongjoong starts, blinking in confusion at the sudden question. He sees Seonghwa hide a smile behind a closed fist and make a gesture to tell him to reply to him. "I- it's confusing but very interesting," he tells Wooyoung, who nods. "But it's only been two days, so I can't really tell."

"I'm sure it'll get better with time," Wooyoung reassures him, his cheeks only slightly pink now.

Hongjoong nods, giving him a smile. "And I have Seonghwa, so it's all alright."

"Oh, that's so _cute_ , he has Seonghwa," Yeosang mutters, looking at Seonghwa, who is very pointedly not looking at him.

"Yes, he's been really helpful and accommodating, I'm really grateful for that," Hongjoong beams at them. 

"It's nothing," Seonghwa mutters. For some reason, his cheeks are pink, and Hongjoong can't think of what was it that he said that made them like that.

"Your cheeks are red again," he mutters, poking his own cheek to signal it. Seonghwa does a strange face, his cheeks gaining more color as Wooyoung and Yeosang break down laughing.

"Nooo, he's so cute," Wooyoung coos, giggling in a high-pitched tone. He falls against the counter, crouching and laughing against his arm. In front of him, Yeosang is shaking in silent bouts of laughter, clutching Wooyoung's arm like a lifeline.

Hongjoong blinks at them in confusion, not understanding what's so funny about it. He looks at Seonghwa for guidance, asking silently with his eyes whether he should be offended or not. Seonghwa, who in turn is glaring at his two laughing friends, his cheeks and now ears a deep shade of crimson.

"I'm going to curse both your underwear so that it's always giving you wedgies," he says under his breath, only managing to make the other two laugh harder.

"You can't do that," Yeosang wheezes. His eyes are screwed shut as he pants for air.

Seonghwa pouts, directing a kick in Wooyoung's direction. He fails, and Wooyoung sticks his tongue out at him. "Then I'm going to poison your food and give you both diarrhea."

"I'd like to see you try," Wooyoung retorts with a grin. Seonghwa huffs, his bangs ruffling with the action, and jumps from the counter.

“Okay, we’re done here,” he says, glaring at Wooyoung as he rounds the counter. He comes to stand beside Hongjoong, who regards him with a mix of confusion, curiosity, and amusement. "Let's go, Hongjoong."

Hongjoong pouts. "But I was having fun," he protests. He's not really upset, he just enjoys the look of exasperation in Seonghwa's face. 

"Yeah, Seonghwa, don't be a party pooper, let the man choose what he wants to do," Yeosang says from behind Hongjoong. When Hongjoong turns to look at him, he's leaning against the counter, smirking wickedly in their direction. Hongjoong studies him for a second, trying to assess what his intentions are. As opposed to Seonghwa or Wooyoung, who are relatively easy to read for him, Yeosang is mysterious, and therefore intriguing.

Seonghwa scoffs, and Hongjoong snaps his head back to look at him. They lock eyes, Seonghwa's soft, dark eyes bearing into his. "Do you want to stay?" he asks, and it's a gentle voice that's miles away from the harsh tone he used with Wooyoung and Yeosang. Hongjoong sees, then, that he's letting him take control of this. He feels something in his chest shift and he gives Seonghwa a smile.

"What's the alternative?" he asks.

That startles Seonghwa, and he makes a face like he hadn't considered it yet. He scratches the back of his neck, looking hesitant. "I was thinking we could go meet another one of my friends?"

"Are you asking me?" Hongjoong teases, although he's actually excited with the prospect of meeting more people. 

"I'm proposing?" Seonghwa's face is doing a sort of complicated confused expression. Behind Hongjoong, someone chokes on a laugh.

"Isn't it a bit too soon for that?" Yeosang mutters. Seonghwa's face grows red again, and he opens his mouth to say something before closing it, his lips pursing.

"I'm not talking to you," he finally says, directing his eyes back to Hongjoong. "So?"

Hongjoong considers it for a moment. On the one hand, he thinks Wooyoung and Yeosang are very funny, and he wouldn't mind spending more time with them. But he guesses Wooyoung has a business to run, and he wants to meet all the new humans he can. "Let's go meet this other friend of yours," he decides.

Seonghwa visibly relaxes when he hears that. Hongjoong tilts his head at him, curious, but he simply shakes his head and beckons him to the door. Hongjoong starts walking, but stops suddenly and turns to the two people in the counter. 

"It was really nice meeting you," he tells them with a smile. Wooyoung returns it as Yeosang, who remains impassible by his side, does a sort of salute that consists of touching two fingers to his forehead. 

"You too!" Wooyoung exclaims, waving excitedly at him. "Come back whenever you feel like it!"

Hongjoong's chest fills with warmth at the invitation, and he nods before turning and hurrying to Seonghwa's side at the door.

"See you two on… Friday?" he tells Wooyoung and Yeosang.

"Yeah! You're not skipping movie night this time," Wooyoung threatens. Yeosang rolls his eyes beside him, but Hongjoong thinks they look almost fond.

"It's Yunho's turn to bring food, right?" Seonghwa asks, opening the door.

"Yup," Yeosang confirms, popping the P, and it sounds like something so cute to do, it almost startles Hongjoong.

"Okay then," Seonghwa nods once, motioning Hongjoong to exit the shop. Hongjoong does so, giving Wooyoung one last wave over his shoulder.

"What's a movie?" he asks once they are outside. 

Seonghwa smiles down at him. "Well, you see…"

* * *

As soon as the door closes, Wooyoung turns to Yeosang with bright eyes, his smile turning into something conspirational. "So."

Yeosang raises an eyebrow at him, already used to his love for the dramatic. "So?"

"Seonghwa and Hongjoong," he says, eyes twinkling. One of his hands finds Yeosang's on the counter, and he starts fidgeting with his fingers. Yeosang lets him do, also used to Wooyoung's restless energy. It means nothing, he tells himself.

"What about them?" Yeosang asks him, knowing perfectly where he's going, but deciding to indulge him in his drama.

"You know you can't tell this to anyone," Wooyoung starts, the same way he does every time he confides something work related to Yeosang. Wooyoung is good at his job, maybe even the best (Yeosang hasn't met any other real matchmakers, only people with an affinity for connection spells), but he loves gossiping, and he can't keep anything from Yeosang. Which is fair, because Yeosang can't keep anything from him, either. 

"Least of all them, yes, I know," Yeosang finishes for him. Wooyoung pats his hand in approval. "So, are they a match?"

Wooyoung's face practically glows as he nods. There's always this sort of _light_ about him when he's found a match. His magic thrives on it, leaving him keyed up and glowing. "I hadn't seen one as clear in years."

Yeosang smiles at him, then, fond. "They looked very cute together," he admits.

"Hongjoong is _adorable_ ," Wooyoung is nearly bouncing in place. He squeezes Yeosang's fingers, smiling widely. "Seonghwa is one lucky bastard."

Yeosang hums in agreement. "I'm happy for him, though, he deserves it."

Wooyoung nods, his face softening and his shifting ceasing. "They are going to be good for one another."

Yeosang agrees. He tries not to feel jealous of them, he really does, but it's difficult with Wooyoung's hand in his and Wooyoung's smile only a foot away. Yeosang's heart does a painful twist in his chest when Wooyoung looks at him like that, glowing and excited with the prospect of new love.

He wonders what would happen, if he were to let Wooyoung make a match for him, like he sometimes offers. What would Yeosang do, if he met his soulmate? A person who isn't Wooyoung? Yeosang has spent so many years of his life loving Wooyoung he's not sure he'd know how to love anyone else. That's why he refuses, he thinks. It would be unfair to the other person. Yeosang has simply resigned himself to live a life of loving quietly from a distance, of having enough with just the little touches and the amused looks Wooyoung gives him. He's happy like that, or so he tells himself.

Wooyoung can't find his own soulmate, and Yeosang doesn't want a soulmate that isn't Wooyoung, so they just stick together. They have since they were kids, it's only natural that they are still attached at the hip, even after all these years. Yeosang wouldn't change him for anyone.

"What is it?" Wooyoung asks, making Yeosang come back to reality. When he looks at Wooyoung, he's staring at him with a half-amused, half-worried expression.

"Hm?" 

"You checked out for a moment there," he explains, his hand squeezing Yeosang's slightly. That's how Yeosang realizes they're still holding hands.

"I was just thinking," he mutters, staring at their linked hands. His, soft but dry from years of passing pages and jotting down spells, and Wooyoung's, calloused and strong from potion making. It's a little painful how well they seem to fit together in Yeosang's mind.

"Come back to me," Wooyoung jokes, pulling at him. "And help me with this spell I found."

Yeosang rolls his eyes, but follows him without complaint behind the counter, already retrieving his glasses from his chest pocket.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEET
> 
> this has been the first chapter. This is my first unfinished chaptered work, so idk how quick the updates will be, but it should be only 3 chapters so i hope i can have them quickly enough hhhh
> 
> Its also my first time writing woosang, so pls let me know how they come out!
> 
> Pls look forward to the next chapter 💗


	2. Chrysanthemums

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shows up a thousand years later* hey anyone rmr this au
> 
> nothing to say about this, its been written for months, but i was struggling w a woosang bit that its still kicking my ass and i decided to leave out of this chapter
> 
> also you might have noticed, but yes, i had to up the chapter count *big sigh*
> 
> anygay, i hope you enjoy meeting san and jongho as much as i enjoyed writing them

By the time they reach the outskirts of the park, Hongjoong has invited himself to movie night. 

Well, if Seonghwa is being fair, rather than invite himself, what he did was a more subtle and definitely more machiavellian thing, which was use his charms to get Seonghwa to invite him. In his opinion, this is far worse than inviting himself, because it makes the full responsibility of the act fall on Seonghwa.

But really, can he deny anything to that wide eyed look of awe Hongjoong gets over any and all human related things? Seonghwa is starting to suspect the answer is no. 

"Are you sure your friends won't mind?" Hongjoong asks, as they start walking the winding road that leads deeper into the park. 

The walk to San's place isn't that long, but Seonghwa has never particularly liked this path, so clearly designed to make people lose time. On either side of the road roll green extensions of soft grass, a few trees here and there providing shade in the sunny day. All around, there's families, couples, or groups of friends who have decided it's the perfect day to bring lunch outside instead of staying in. All sorts of people, magical and not, enjoy their free time, and Seonghwa can't help but smile when he catches Hongjoong gawking at them, with that starry-eyed look that Seonghwa is quickly becoming familiar with. 

"They won't," Seonghwa assures him, following Hongjoong's eyes to a middle aged lady with green hair, whose food floats idly by her head as she pages through a book, small bites breaking away and flying to her mouth when she opens it. Hongjoong subconsciously copies her movements, looking like a fish gasping for air. Seonghwa can't help it, he lets out a snort.

"Hm?" Hongjoong turns to him, pout already prepared to accuse Seonghwa. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Seonghwa quickly replies, hands coming up in mock defense. Hongjoong narrows his eyes at him, still pouting, and Seonghwa feels about as threatened as if a kitten had just growled at him.

Hongjoong opens his mouth, ready to scold him, probably, when his attention gets snatched away by something zooming over their heads. His face turns from a scowl to an expression of awe as the little gadget flies past them, leaving a trail of multicolored soap bubbles behind it. A few children run after it squealing, trying to pop as many of the bubbles as they can, and Hongjoong stares at them with something akin to jealousy.

"I'm sure they won't mind you joining them," Seonghwa poses, making Hongjoong's head turn to him.

"Really?" His voice is careful, but his face is hopeful. Seonghwa nods, smiling when Hongjoong all but sprints after them, his bare feet not even seeming to touch the ground. The kids welcome him gladly, and Seonghwa has to laugh when one of them apparently asks to touch Hongjoong’s pointy ears. Hongjoong couches slightly, letting the kid poke one of his ears with a finger, to which the kid reacts with an open mouth. After that, all the other kids want to try, too, and Hongjoong calmly indulges them all. Seonghwa watches with a smile as they ooh and aah at him.

“Your younger brother?” a voice beside him asks.

Seonghwa startles, taking his eyes off Hongjoong to look at the stranger who has stopped beside him. It’s a middle aged man, and in his hands is a small controller. Seonghwa realizes this might be the person operating the soap bubble gadget, probably one of the kids’ father.

“Oh! No, he’s a friend,” Seonghwa explains, looking back at Hongjoong, who is now popping bubbles with the kids. He guesses he kind of looks like a child, with his round face and eager eyes. His light grey hair is cut short and sort of choppily, and his clothes look like they have been hand-me-downs for the past three generations. Even the soft splatter of freckles on his sun-kissed skin makes him look like a kid. The only giveaway are his bare feet and pointy ears, but even that could be considered human, given how popular physical alterations are, these days.

“How old is your friend, son?” the man asks, making the gadget swerve. The kids and Hongjoong skiddle at the sudden change of direction, scrambling to follow it.

“Uh,” Seonghwa mutters dumbly. He quickly realizes he doesn’t know the answer to that question, but he guesses replying ‘old enough’ will only make him look like a pedo. He’s pretty sure Hongjoong is an adult, from the way he speaks about past life experiences, but he has no idea how age works, for pixies. So he lies, for the sake of the man and his public image. “We’re the same age.”

The man lets out a low, impressed whistle. "He sure doesn't look a day over twelve. I know people who would kill to look that young."

Seonghwa grimaces, fiddling with his necklace. "Yeah, he has a, uh… good skin care routine."

"I bet he does," the man laughs. 

Seonghwa doesn't reply to that, and conversation drops, both of them falling into an easy silence as they watch the small figures run. After a while, the same kid who asked to touch Hongjoong's ears approaches them, complaining to the man about being hungry. The man pats the child's head, telling her to go say goodbye to her friends, and the soap bubble gadget is being put away shortly after, the pair leaving and the little band of kids dispersing to find their own families.

Hongjoong finds his way back to Seonghwa, and the smile he's wearing could very easily outshine the sun. 

"Did you have fun?" Seonghwa asks him, amused. 

"Yes!" Hongjoong beams up at him, his eyes forming small crescents. His face is glowing from happiness and it settles nice and warmly in Seonghwa's chest. 

"Glad to hear that," Seonghwa tells him. Hongjoong nods, and that's when Seonghwa notices the leaf in his hair. He extends a hand to brush it off, a suggestion to start walking again on the tip of his tongue, but doesn't expect Hongjoong to jump back at the contact, his eyes opening wide with shock. They stare at each other for a second, Seonghwa's hand still hanging uselessly between them, before Seonghwa realizes what's going on. "I should have asked first, right?"

Hongjoong nods, still looking shocked, but less frantic. "That's… a very intimate thing to do," he explains, hand coming up to touch his own hair.

"Touching someone's hair?" Seonghwa ventures, seeing his mistake. Hongjoong nods again, and Seonghwa returns the gesture. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay, there was no reason for you to know," Hongjoong replies, his face softening into a small smile. Seonghwa smiles back, gesturing for them to start walking again.

"I feel like I should be asking about pixie culture as much as you ask about human culture-- I know nothing about your people," Seonghwa comments when Hongjoong falls in step with him. He makes sure to walk slower to accommodate his pace.

"What do you want to know?" Hongjoong asks, all the shock apparently having faded away.

Seonghwa considers it. "Uh, a lot of things actually," he admits. He's quite curious, now that he thinks about it.

"How about we do this: I ask a question, and then, you get to ask one, and so on," Hongjoong suggests.

"Oh, like twenty one questions?"

"What's twenty one questions?" Hongjoong tilts his head, and Seonghwa smiles at him.

“It’s this game you play when you want to get to know someone,” he explains as they walk towards the small canopy of trees situated deeper in the park. “Basically, you ask someone twenty one questions and they have to answer them. They, in turn get to do the same to you, and this way you learn stuff about each other.” 

Hongjoong nods in understanding, his eyes focused and mouth slightly open as he listens to Seonghwa. He’s so earnest, it surprises Seonghwa a bit, who is used to people always having second intentions or being untruthful. But Hongjoong is innocent in a way that borders on naivety, always eager to learn and infinitely curious about everything around him. It’s refreshing and different, and Seonghwa can’t deny that he feels himself being drawn to that unconcealed excitement, that barely contained awe.

“So should I ask a question? Or do you wanna go first, since I’ve already asked so many?” Hongjoong says, with a giggle, clearly self-conscious about his incessant questions. 

Seonghwa gives him a little reassuring smile. “As you see fit.”

Hongjoong tilts his head, thinking it over. “You start,” he says after a moment, beaming up at Seonghwa.

“Okay, then,” Seonghwa accepts gracefully. He stops to think, then, about what he’d like to know. He suddenly recalls the conversation with the man earlier, and an idea forms in his head. “Oh, I know! How old are you?”

The question seems to surprise Hongjoong, who blinks quickly. “In human years?” he asks.

“Do they work differently than pixie years?” Seonghwa counters.

“I.. I don’t think so, lengthwise, but we start our years differently, I think?” Hongjoong explains, not sounding very convinced. Seonghwa nods, that makes perfect sense, after all, time division is something arbitrary that humans made up, so it’s only natural that pixies also have their own.

“I see. How old, then?" Seonghwa asks as they reach the edge of the trees. Hongjoong tilts his head for a moment, eyes closed as he seems to breathe in the cool air. The mottled light that seeps through the leaves paints his features in greens and gold, and Seonghwa can't help but think this is Hongjoong in his most natural state: his tan face tilted up to the sky as he soaks up the energy from the sun and trees around him. 

"I'm twenty two," he mutters, his face still skyward. Seonghwa doesn't say anything, but has to laugh internally at the coincidence. Hongjoong lets his head fall in his direction, opening one of his eyes slightly. "What about you?"

"Me too," Seonghwa tells him, wondering if it's weird for him to be staring. He can't help it, Hongjoong has something that makes him constantly aware of everything the pixie is doing.

Hongjoong hums, soft and agreeable, and closes his eyes again, taking in a deep breath. "I like it here," he confesses.

Seonghwa forces himself to look away from Hongjoong to look at their surroundings. There's less trees and they're far more manicured than in the woods, but he can see why Hongjoong would find it more appealing than the busy streets of the city. "It's nice."

Hongjoong nods and opens his eyes, smiling up at Seonghwa with a sweet twinkle in his eyes. "What else do you want to know?" 

Seonghwa blinks, tongue darting out to wet his lips as he thinks. There are so many things he could ask, and yet, when put on the spotlight like this, none come to mind. He thinks of Hongjoong's amazement when he saw him do magic yesterday, then, and a question starts to form in his head. "Do pixies have… how to say it? Can you do magic? Like, spellwork and stuff?"

Hongjoong's mouth forms a little surprised _o_ at the question. He thinks it over for a second, rocking back and forth on his heels, before he answers. "I guess it's not exactly what you'd call spells? We _can_ do magic, but I think it's more related to the fact that we _are_ magic? As in, it's an inherent part of us," he explains, waving his hands around as he talks. 

Seonghwa listens, nodding along to show he understands. "So like, you might not need a specific spell to do it? You just like, _think_ about it or…?" 

Hongjoong frowns, considering the question. "I think it's more complicated than that, but at the same time, it's also simpler. Our magic isn't extremely intricate or powerful, cause we don't need it to be. A lot of it is non-verbal or intuitive-- I don't think I've ever been taught to _use_ my magic, you know? It just comes naturally to me." 

"I get it," Seonghwa tells him. "It's like that for me too." His powers don't come from spells or formulas, but from somewhere within him. They're as much part of him as his blood or limbs are. 

Hongjoong smiles knowingly, then. "It's hard to explain, right? The feeling of it thrumming in your veins."

Seonghwa nods, dumbfounded. It's one thing to be able to perform magic, and another, very different one, to _be_ magic yourself. Yeosang can do magic, but his powers stem from the study and understanding of how it works. Most people are like this, able to execute the magic, but not able to _feel_ it inside themselves. The only other people Seonghwa has met who are like him are San, and maybe Wooyoung. But even then, he's not sure they qualify, since San is a magical creature in himself, and Wooyoung's powers appear to work in a separate spectrum from conventional magic. 

But now he has Hongjoong in front of him, telling Seonghwa he feels exactly what he's been feeling his entire life, and something blooms in his chest, a feeling of deep understanding, of connection. "No one had ever understood," he admits.

Hongjoong's smile tells him he knows. "I do."

Seonghwa is rendered speechless by that, and all he can do is stare at Hongjoong in awe. How ironic, he thinks, that their roles have reversed. Hongjoong just continues to smile up at him in that indulgent way of his.

"Can I ask a question now?" He says, his smile growing a bit cheeky.

Seonghwa startles. He had almost forgot their little game. "Yes, go ahead."

"Who are we going to see?" Hongjoong asks, eyes shining with anticipation. That's right, they were currently on their way to somewhere.

"My friend San," Seonghwa tells him, and starts moving again, Hongjoong following his steps without him having to say anything. "He lives near here. I think you'll like it."

"Oh? Why's that so?" Hongjoong gives him a curious look as they walk further inside the trees, always following the path. There's benches here and there, some occupied by more people, and Hongjoong's attention has been snatched by them. 

"You'll see," Seonghwa says, not wanting to reveal too much too soon.

"Ah, now I wanna get there faster," Hongjoong complains with a whine. 

Seonghwa can't help but laugh at his outburst. "We're almost there."

And just as he says that, the trees part, the path leading them to a small body of water hidden in between rocks. From one of the rocks a small waterfall feeds the pond gently, the water clear and filled with colorful koi fish. Hongjoong's eyes light up with wonder at the pretty sight, and he leans over the railing encircling the edge of the pond, scaring some ducks with his excitement. 

"This is like back at home!" he exclaims, turning to give Seonghwa a blinding smile.

Seonghwa is about to answer when a voice interrupts him. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite pyrokinetic witch," it says. Seonghwa chuckles, looking around for the owner of the voice.

"And if it isn't my favorite trickster forest spirit," he tells the air. To his right, he can see Hongjoong staring at him with a confused look, which only grows more surprised when the water in front of him ripples and mist starts rising from it. From within the mist, a figure starts materializing, only a shadow first, but soon Seonghwa can make out the distinctive shape of a head, and limbs, and eventually, San's entire body is fully visible. 

He's grinning wide, flowers and twigs sticking out from his unruly hair, his bright blue eyes twinkling with mirth when he spots Hongjoong. The pixie is looking at him with a look of utter awe, his mouth parted and eyes wide as saucers as San quickly skips over to him, the flip flops on his feet making no sound where they touch the ground.

"Hello," he says, stopping right in front of Hongjoong's awed face. "I'm San."

Hongjoong quite literally _ooh_ 's at him, his wide eyes blinking rapidly up at San. "You're a forest spirit!" 

That makes San laugh, an airy sound that reminisces of water flowing. "And you're a pixie!" he grins back.

"But you live in the city!" Hongjoong is practically vibrating with excitement. "I never knew there were forest spirits in the city!"

"Yes! There's not a lot of us, but we're here!" San explains, also excitedly bouncing. Seonghwa watches, amused, as they look at each other with starry eyes. "What about you! I've never met a pixie outside of the woods!"

"I'm learning about the humans!" Hongjoong says, proudly. Seonghwa has to fight back a smile. "Seonghwa is teaching me all the human stuff!"

"Is he, now? That's so cool!" 

"Yes! I'm learning so much!" Hongjoong assures him. San smiles widely at him, his eyes scrunching in delight. Seonghwa had a feeling these two would like each other.

"I'm glad to hear that!" San says. Then he stops bouncing for a second, hitting his forehead like he forgot something. "I'm so dumb, I didn't even ask for your name!"

Hongjoong gapes at him then, before laughing sweetly. "It's okay, I started yelling right away, it's my fault." 

"No, I started yelling too, we're both at fault here," San reassures him. Hongjoong nods.

"I'm Hongjoong, and it's really nice to meet you!" the pixie tells him. San all but beams at him, and Seonghwa knows he's repressing the urge to squish Hongjoong's cheeks.

"It's really nice to meet you too, Hongjoong! Seonghwa didn't say anything about a pixie," he redirects his eyes to Seonghwa, then, giving him a look as if saying _why didn't you tell me about this when it's clearly something I'd enjoy?_

Seonghwa opens his mouth to retort, but Hongjoong beats him to it. "We only met yesterday," he explains to San, who returns his gaze to him.

"Oh, okay, in that case," he says. His eyes light up immediately, looking at Hongjoong playfully. "How is everything, though? Confusing? I remember I was super confused when I first moved here."

Hongjoong nods fervently, his head almost becoming a grey blur. "Everything happens so _fast_ ," he exclaims, but he doesn't seem bothered by it at all. "And there's so many people! We saw someone with cat ears, how crazy is that?!"

"I know, right?!" San exclaims right back. He's bouncing again. "Oh, _oh_ ! You have to meet Yunho! Seonghwa! He _has_ to meet Yunho!"

Seonghwa lifts his hands to fend off the excited energy emanating from the forest spirit. "He will! He's coming to movie night on Friday."

San's entire face lights up. "You are?!"

Hongjoong nods, and the next moment San is tackle-hugging him, squishing his cheek against the pixie's, who looks absolutely _flabbergasted_ by the sudden outburst of affection.

"San!" Seonghwa scolds him, but his frown lessens when Hongjoong makes a small gesture with his hand, which he interprets to mean _it's okay_.

"Hongjoongie, I think you're my new favorite," San says, rubbing his cheek against Hongjoong's. 

Hongjoong lets out a little giggle. "But you just met me!"

"I don't care, you're the only other forest creature around, and you're ridiculously cute, I'm keeping you. Do you like flower crowns?" San says in a single breath, making Hongjoong's smile just grow bigger.

"Yes!" He laughs. San squishes him harder.

"I'm keeping you forever, then," he promises. Hongjoong just nods, looking infinitely amused.

San pulls away, holding the pixie's shoulders and assessing him for a second. "I think we have time to make you a flower crown, would you like that?"

Hongjoong's eyes twinkle with awe. "Really?"

San nods, smiling with all his teeth, the kind of smile that makes his entire face scrunch up. "We still have a while until Jongho gets here, so let's make you one, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Hongjoong agrees. He quickly steps back when San jumps the little fence and unceremoniously sits on the floor, patting beside him to signal Hongjoong should sit too.

"Seonghwa, come here, you're helping too," the forest spirit commands, making Seonghwa startle. He'd been watching fondly from a distance, happy to just watch the endearing interaction unfold in front of him, but now San is giving him a pointed look that means he'd better sit down and make flower crowns, and Seonghwa knows better than to go against the spirit's desires.

"Aye," he mutters, coming to sit beside San. Hongjoong sits beside him, closing their little circle and looking curiously at San. "You said Jongho is coming by?"

"He had a test today, so he'll probably be here somewhere around three, I think," San explains as he begins rubbing his hands together. He focuses, for a second, before his face clears and he separates his hands, holding them a few inches apart in front of him. Slowly, a blossom appears in between them, falling softly on his lap, shortly followed by another. Blossom by blossom, he calmly summons enough flowers to make a moderately sized bouquet. "This should do," he says, sizing the amount of flowers up.

Seonghwa looks up from his hands only to find Hongjoong looking at San like he'd just witnessed a miracle. Seonghwa can't blame him, seeing San summon things is always an experience.

"That was…" the pixie starts, and stops himself, shaking his head a little. "How-"

"Cool, huh?" San grins. He carefully takes the flowers and puts them on Seonghwa's lap. Seonghwa doesn't even blink, he's done this enough times to know the process now. "Pick the first two flowers," San instructs. "It will bring him luck."

Seonghwa nods, and looks at the blossoms in his lap carefully. It's an assortment of purples, whites, and faded pinks which blend beautifully together, and that, once Seonghwa glances up to look at Hongjoong, he sees complement the pixie's complexion perfectly. Seonghwa looks at Hongjoong, and then at the flowers again, and picks two big ones, one purple, one white.

"Oh, chrysanthemums, nice," San comments as he starts weaving them together. Seonghwa knows he could easily summon the flower crown already finished, but that it's the _making_ of it that he enjoys, rather than the product.

"What do they mean?" Seonghwa asks, silently passing San a white daisy when he extends a hand. 

"Support and loyalty," Hongjoong mutters from his right, surprising Seonghwa. He's looking at San's hands in admiration, a somewhat faraway look on his face.

"Atta boy," San praises him, extending his hand for another flower. "The red ones can also mean devoted love, but purple and white is for wishing well and showing you care."

"Oh, I see," Seonghwa says, nodding.

"You chose well," San smiles up at him. "It will bring Hongjoongie luck," he explains again.

"Why?" Hongjoong asks, eyes still focused on the nimble movement of San's hands.

"Seonghwa is your guide. Your link between your world and the human world, let’s say,” San tells him. Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa nod. “Your energies are connected, and energy is a wise thing, even if we don’t realize. Seonghwa picking the flowers will bring you luck because his energy wants what’s best for you, even if he doesn’t know it.” 

“Oh, I see,” Hongjoong says. He looks up at Seonghwa from under his lashes. “Would it work the other way around, too?”

“Absolutely, but Seonghwa doesn’t like flower crowns, so you’re going to have to find another way to bring him luck,” San teases, nudging Seonghwa slightly with his shoulder. Seonghwa pushes him back, feeling his cheeks heat up.

“Shut up,” he croaks, feeling Hongjoong’s baffled eyes bear into the side of his head.

“How can you not like flower crowns?!” he demands. 

Seonghwa looks back at the pixie, finding him staring with wide eyes an an open mouth. This time, it’s not in awe, though, it’s in disbelief. He shrugs. “They don’t really do it for me.”

Hongjoong blinks at him, appalled. “How-”

“Don’t waste your time, Hongjoongie, he’s incorrigible,” San assures him, patting Hongjoong’s knee with a hand. “At least he makes good tea to compensate.”

“Wow, glad to see that’s the only thing I’m good for,” Seonghwa retorts with an eyeroll. San lets out a little giggle, and even Hongjoong smiles.

“The tea was good,” Hongjoong confirms. San tilts his head in his direction with a look that says _see?_ Seonghwa just ignores them both and passes San another carnation.

Silence falls over them as San nimbly works his way through the flower crown, adding more and more flowers to it. It looks beautiful, Seonghwa has to admit, and it will probably look even better on top of Hongjoong’s cute head. Seonghwa finds his attention being snatched by Hongjoong again, finds himself looking at the way Hongjoong regards San’s movements with almost awe, entranced by the gentle movement of the spirit’s fingers. His eyes are alight with curiosity, and his mouth is slightly parted, lips forming a barely there smile. It’s a wholesome sight.

The pixie looks up, then, his eyes catching Seonghwa’s, and he smiles, his entire freckled face lighting up with joy, and Seonghwa feels the urge to look away, because he surely can’t be worthy of this unabridged sort of happiness, this pure, innocent glee. He feels himself smiling back, instead, his body reacting on its own to Hongjoong’s light. 

“And, it’s finished!” San announces, breaking the moment. Seonghwa quickly looks away from Hongjoong, focusing on the flower crown that San is now holding in his hands, proud smile on his face. The purple and white flowers interweave together and create a pretty ringlet, which San presents ceremoniously to Hongjoong. "Will you do the honors?"

Hongjoong nods, and takes the crown from San's hands almost reverently, lifting it to his tilted head, where he lets it fall softly on top of his light grey locks. He slowly raises his head, face looking utterly solemn, and stares straight ahead with wide eyes.

He looks beautiful. 

It hits Seonghwa a bit like a freight train, and he does need to look away this time, because Hongjoong looks like he came straight out of a fairy tale, all delicate features and earnest expression and pretty flowers on his head. It's a bit too much for Seonghwa to bear, for some reason, so he looks at San instead, who is beaming with pride as he quickly claps his hands.

"You look so pretty!" He exclaims. And he's right. Seonghwa wonders what this sudden oppressive feeling in his chest is. 

“Yeah?” Hongjoong asks, sounding a bit breathless.

“Yeah! Doesn’t he, Seonghwa?”

And oh, Seonghwa wasn’t ready to be put on the spotlight like this all of a sudden. He forces himself to look at Hongjoong again, and feels like he’s been punched when he’s faced with Hongjoong’s blinding smile. He manages a nod, and a raspy _yeah_ through his suddenly dry mouth.

Hongjoong’s smile is so big Seonghwa thinks his cheeks might hurt. “No one had made a flower crown for me in years, thank you so much, San.”

San all but glows at the praise, grabbing Hongjoong’s hands in his and squeezing them. “The pleasure was mine, the boys don’t appreciate my flower crown making skills like they should.”

“That’s because you’d never stop making them otherwise,” Seonghwa cuts him. San turns to him and sticks his tongue out.

“Excuse me, we are having a bonding moment here, get lost,” he tells Seonghwa, who pretends to be offended. 

“Oh, I see how it is,” he says in mock indignation. “Getting rid of the human.”

“Exactly,” San says, petulant. Hongjoong watches the entire exchange with an amused half-smile. 

Seonghwa makes to stand. “Fine then, see you around, help Hongjoong go back to the woods.”

He’s halfway up when a hand grabs his softly. Seonghwa looks down, curious, at Hongjoong’s small hand wrapping around his fingers, one of San’s hands hanging empty in front of him. When he looks up to the owner of the hand, Hongjoong is giving him a small, private smile. “Don’t go,” he requests, gently. Seonghwa stares at him for a second, dumbfounded, before sitting down again.

“I wasn’t planning on actually leaving,” he tells Hongjoong, and he surprises himself with how soft his voice comes out.

Hongjoong’s smile just grows, sweet and warm. “I know.” 

“Oh.”

“I didn’t want you to feel left out,” the pixie tells him gently, and Seonghwa wonders when exactly has he developed this sort of dependency on Hongjoong’s smile. 

“I- thank you,” he stutters out, knowing he must look like an idiot with the way he’s regarding Hongjoong with what feels almost like wonder. The smile Hongjoong gives him after that is perhaps a bit too much for Seonghwa to handle right now, but he takes it in regardless, unable to lift his eyes from his face.

“Well, now it’s me who’s feeling left out,” San pipes in from beside them, and Seonghwa hadn’t exactly forgotten about him, but his brain had deftly tuned out his presence.

He rolls his eyes at the spirit. “This is what you get for being mean.”

Hongjoong’s entire face scrunches in a smile, eyes forming little crescents as he turns to San, squeezing the hand that’s still in his grasp. San pouts, but he squeezes his hand back.

“I wouldn’t have said anything if I’d known it would lead to you guys practically making out in front of me,” he sasses, and just then does Seonghwa realize how close he and Hongjoong have gravitated. He pulls back with a strangled noise, making Hongjoong turn to him with a worried look, squeezing his hand this time. A hand Seonghwa hadn’t even noticed was still in his until now.

“We weren’t- It’s not like-” he chokes on his words, feeling himself blushing furiously as he looks at San in horror. San, in turn, is giving him a wicked grin that Seonghwa wants to kick out of his face.

“I’m just saying what I saw,” he says, fake innocently.

“Fuck off,” Seonghwa spits, but he lacks the heat, ironically.

“What does that mean?” Hongjoong asks then, and Seonghwa turns to him, pleading with his eyes not to, but Hongjoong is looking at San with big eyes.

“Making out?” San asks in turn, his smirk so big it threatens to split his face. Hongjoong nods, his face curious and innocent and oh, so naive. San looks at him like a cat ready to play with his food. “You know,” he says, sickeningly sweet, ignoring Seonghwa’s glare. “Like kissing.”

Hongjoong’s face scrunches in confusion. “Kissing?” he parrots, and Seonghwa swallows a pitiful sound, trying to convince him to drop it.

San looks like Hongjoong just handed him the opportunity of a lifetime. "You know this thing humans do where they put their lips on someone else's lips and then they move them real nice?"

Hongjoong's face is the perfect picture of moderately disgusted confusion. "Why would they want to do that?"

"Because it feels good!" San exclaims, and then turns to Seonghwa, much to his chagrin. "Seonghwa, tell him."

Seonghwa would very much prefer not to, but Hongjoong also turns to him with an expression of utmost concern, and he feels the need to defend human culture, for once. "It's actually not bad," he says, his ears burning still. "Not everyone likes it, but it's a way of showing someone you like or appreciate them? It also doesn't have to be on the lips, that's actually quite intimate, but you can kiss someone's cheek or forehead platonically."

"Wooyoungie likes doing that," San adds, fondly.

Seonghwa nods, grateful that he's moving the conversation into safer ground. "Wooyoung likes kissing people, yes."

"I still don't see the appeal," Hongjoong says, looking less disgusted now, but still rather confused.

"Maybe Seonghwa can show you…" San proposes, without missing a beat. Seonghwa turns to gape at him, only to be met with a radiant grin.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Especially not when he just nearly had a meltdown over Hongjoong in a flower crown. He needs time to unpack all that.

"I'm not sure I want to try either," Hongjoong agrees, and Seonghwa feels equal parts relieved and disappointed, for some reason.

"No one is going to force you to, you shouldn't try anything unless you're one hundred percent sure about it," he reassures Hongjoong, who nods at him, his face serious.

"Thank you," he mutters, and Seonghwa feels the urge to protect him from all harm.

"Dude, at least stop looking at each other like _that_ ," San says, and this time, Seonghwa does try to strangle him.

* * *

"There's kids in here," a voice says from behind Hongjoong, and he looks up from Seonghwa and San's squabbling forms to see a boy standing a couple of feet away, arms crossed over his chest and pout on his lips.

San's head emerges from underneath Seonghwa's shoulder at the sound of the stranger's voice, and his face breaks into a beaming smile. "Jjong!"

That makes Seonghwa look up too, letting go of his grip on San's wrists. "Oh, hey," he says, like he wasn't just trying to smother San.

"'Sup," the boy says, and Hongjoong realizes that he really wasn't pouting, he just talks like that. "What did San say this time?"

San's smile turns into a frown so exaggerated it's obvious it's fake even to Hongjoong. "Why must I have said something?"

"Because you always do," the boy says, unimpressed. His voice is soothing and calm, and Hongjoong thinks of the pond where his mother would take him to play when he was little. "And it's not like Seonghwa likes fighting people for sport."

"Only when they're being assholes," Seonghwa agrees, with a nod.

San pouts. "I wasn't being an asshole, I was just pointing out facts."

"You said Seonghwa and I looked at each other like _that_ ," Hongjoong reminds him, although he still has no idea what _that_ means.

"And you do!" San bursts out, which earns him a smack to the back of the head.

"Do not," Seonghwa says, looking ready to fight him again, if he must. "Stop confusing him."

San rubs the back of his head with a pout, looking up at Seonghwa from under his bangs. "You do know I'm an immortal pseudo deity, right?" he says, and Hongjoong thinks he means it to sound threatening, but it comes out as dejected.

"You're an asshole, is what you are," Seonghwa admonishes, and the boy whose name Hongjoong doesn't know makes an affirmative noise.

"Immortality and annoyance are directly proportional in you," he says, and his pout stretches to a grin, revealing all his teeth and gums. It's an expression that looks slightly predatory, Hongjoong thinks.

"Jjongie, you wound me," San complains, crossing his arms over his chest. "After all I do for you."

"I own a bathtub, you know?" the boy (Jjong?) replies, whatever that means.

"What's a bathtub?" Hongjoong whispers to Seonghwa, who turns to him with wide eyes.

“It’s a place where you take baths,” someone replies, but it’s not him. Hongjoong looks up from Seonghwa to meet the other boy’s eyes. He’s smiling politely now, and Hongjoong is reminded of a bunny for some reason. “Hi, I don’t think we know each other, I’m Jongho.”

_Oh!_

“You’re Jongho!” Hongjoong exclaims, because he recognizes the name from earlier. He returns Jongho’s smile. “I’m Hongjoong!”

“Hongjoong,” Jonghos repeats, and Hongjoong nods, pleased. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too!”

“Man, is he always so cute about everything?” San whispers, and Hongjoong thinks it’s not directed at him.

Seonghwa verifies his theory when he replies with a “Pretty much, yeah.”

Hongjoong takes his eyes away from Jongho and turns to the other two, tilting his head to the side and smiling. “Who’s cute?”

The action makes San burst out in giggles and Seonghwa blush and look away with what Hongjoong would qualify as a pout. His smile only grows and he bats his eyelashes exaggeratedly.

“Hongjoongie, have I said you’re my favorite already? Because you are,” San chuckles, leaning forward and draping himself over Hongjoong’s shoulders, making the pixie laugh too.

“I think you did, but I enjoy hearing it,” Hongjoong confirms, happily hugging San back. “So who’s cute?”

“You are, my little pixie, you’re the cutest in all the land!” San says with a big gesture of his hand. Hongjoong laughs giddily, he finds he quite likes San’s histrionic ways.

“So… an old friend or…” Jongho asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I literally met Hongjoongie like an hour ago,” San proclaims, rubbing his cheek against the pixie’s.

Jongho lets out a low whistle as he moves to sit on the fence surrounding San’s pond. “That was fast.”

“He has that effect on people,” Seonghwa tells him, and Jongho nods in understanding. 

“Which effect?” Hongjoong asks, looking over San’s shoulder to meet Seonghwa’s eyes. Seonghwa makes a funny face, something that looks pained, and avoids his eyes again.

“People like you immediately,” he explains, and Hongjoong thinks he sounds different than he has up until now, but he can’t exactly guess why.

"That's good, no?" he questions, because it doesn't sound bad. Hongjoong wants people to like him, maybe more than he wants anything else.

"No, yeah, of course," Seonghwa hurries to say, looking back at him and smiling in a way that looks a bit like a grimace. Hongjoong resists the urge to pout at the sudden wave of awkwardness, which he really can't put his finger on the source of.

“That’s more than good, I wish it was that easy to make friends at uni,” Jongho complains, and Hongjoong’s attention is snatched again, because he recalls Seonghwa telling him about uni yesterday.

“Do you go to university?” he asks Jongho, the word feeling a bit clumsy on his tongue. Jongho smiles warmly at him, though, and Hongjoong doesn’t feel so bad about it.

“Just started my second year,” he confirms. “And it’s already kicking my ass. Yeosang could be a bit cooler.”

“Yeosang is one of Jongho’s TA’s,” Seonghwa explains, and, then, before Hongjoong can ask: “He helps Jongho’s professor teach the class, and tutors the students who need it.”

“Fucker skipped a year and now he thinks he can give me three assignments in a month,” Jongho continues. 

“Maybe if you actually studied…” San chirps, and Jongho sends him a glare that makes Hongjoong flinch a bit.

“Yeosangie is good, you’re just a whiny baby,” San pushes, not looking bothered at all by Jongho’s look.

“How would you even know? You’ve never gone to school,” Jongho says with an eyeroll. San shrugs.

“I just do,” he explains with a shrug. “It’s the energy he gives off.”

“You just say that because he lets you cuddle him,” Seonghwa cuts in, and San shrugs again, smiling as he rests his head on Hongjoong’s shoulder.

“That’s all that should matter, don’t you think?”

“You can cuddle me too,” Hongjoong tells him, because he doesn’t really mind, and he wants to be on San’s good side. San turns his smile towards him, his nose scrunching up in delight.

“And that’s why you’re my favorite,” he says, and Hongjoong smiles right back.

“Wait until Yunho hears that,” Jongho comments, and San’s eyes widen in guilt.

“My puppy will understand,” he says, but it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself.

“Not if you call him that, he won’t,” Seonghwa clarifies. Hongjoong catches his eye, and Seonghwa must see the confused look on his face, because he smiles apologetically, as if saying _I’m sorry you don’t know who we’re talking about yet._ The smile looks more genuine than the ones he’d sent him earlier, so Hongjoong assumes whatever was going on inside his head couldn’t have been that bad. 

“I can call him that,” San protests, pouting. “He loves me the most.”

“Hmm, don’t know about that… Maybe he won’t when he finds out you’ve replaced him,” Jongho says cheekily.

“Yeah, maybe he revokes cuddling privileges…” Seonghwa joins him, grinning in a way that Hongjoong still hasn’t seen on him, teasing and amused.

San lets out a gasp, lifting his head from Hongjoong’s shoulder. “He wouldn’t!”

“Are you sure?” Jongho’s smile stretches into something dangerous.

“Yes!” San cries, and he looks so upset Hongjoong doesn’t know what to do. He looks at Seonghwa with worried eyes, but Seonghwa just smiles, shaking his head slightly, which Hongjoong interprets as _don’t worry._

“We’re kidding, Sannie,” he says, then voice warm, and San deflates, leaning against Hongjoong’s side again with a pout as Jongho bursts out laughing.

“You’re all so mean to me,” he whines, and Hongjoong wraps his arms around him in support.

“Someone has to every once in a while,” Jongho reasons, as if it's obvious.

"No, no you really don't," San mutters through a pout. Hongjoong hooks his chin on top of his head, tucking the spirit against his chest, and San all but melts against him. "Hongjoongie, you're the only one I can trust," he mutters against his shoulder. 

"Please don't be sad," Hongjoong tells him, rubbing his back the way his mom used to do for him when he was upset. "They didn't mean to hurt you."

"'m not sad," San assures him, and Hongjoong thinks he hears a something akin to a purr when he strokes his back again. "But thank you for worrying."

"Of course," Hongjoong tells him. He looks up, then only to find Seonghwa and Jongho staring at them with various degrees of surprise. "What?" 

At his gentle question, Seonghwa blinks rapidly, shaking his head and schooling his features into something neutral. "Nothing."

"Don't be so mean to Sannie," he scolds them, and both Seonghwa and Jongho have the grace of looking guilty.

"It's okay, Hongjoongie, I really don't mind," San says, rubbing his cheek against Hongjoong's chest. "But thank you for standing up for me."

"Are you sure?" Hongjoong stares at the top of his dark hair.

"Yeah, I'm mean to them too, sometimes, it's fine," San separates from him, giving him a smile, and Hongjoong deems it genuine enough to stop worrying for his new friend.

"Okay," he concedes, smiling back at him. 

"Great! Now that that's settled, I'm gonna go take a splash," Jongho says, and turns where he's sitting, flinging his legs over the railing and walking over to the pond. Without another word, he jumps in, the water rippling where he'd entered it, and Hongjoong feels his own eyes blow wide.

"Wha-"

Seonghwa stops him before he can even finish the question. "Jongho's a siren," he explains, meeting Hongjoong's wild eyes with calm ones. "He sorta needs to do this in order to stay sane."

Hongjoong gapes at him, completely aghast. "I… that was crazy."

Seonghwa smiles and shrugs a shoulder, as if saying _I know, but what can we do about it?_

"Most water creatures who live in the city have a hard time finding places to stay in contact with the water," San explains from where he's sprawled himself of Hongjoong's lap. "Some of them go swimming or try to get big bathtubs, but Jongho always says he prefers this because it feels more organic."

"Oh, this reminds me of this lady I met once," Hongjoong says, suddenly. San's explanation has triggered a memory from when he was very young and still learning the ways of the woods on his own. San makes a little curious sound, prompting him to elaborate. "She was an undine, and she was always in this pond near our village. I used to visit her to listen to her play the flute, and she would teach me music magic. She never left the pond, and I remember asking my mom why that was, and she said it was because she would get very sad outside of the water."

He understands now, that what his mother had meant was that the undine would probably die outside of her pond, but Hongjoong had been too young back then to understand.

"Yeah, it's a bit like that for Jongho too," San tells him. "He gets snappy and angry when he hasn't been in the water for a long time, and it's actually bad for his health, too."

"It's not good to break the natural order of things," Hongjoong agrees.

San nods, and then, for some reason, sends Seonghwa a meaningful look. Seonghwa, who had just been sitting there beside them, listening quietly to their conversation, and who now looks affronted, his cheeks flaming as he avoids San's eyes.

"I think it's time we left," he says, and Hongjoong is dying to _ask,_ but he can see from the tight set of his jaw and the tension in his shoulders, that now is not the moment.

"So soon?" San whines, wrapping around Hongjoong like a vine. 

"I have work, and Hongjoong might want to go back?" he says the last part of the statement as a question, letting Hongjoong choose what he wants to do. Hongjoong appreciates that about him.

"Not really, but I'm curious about your work," he says cheerily, smiling at Seonghwa to try and ease the human's clear discomfort.

"Ah, it's nothing flashy, I'm afraid," he comments, brushing the side of his neck with a hand.

"I don't care, I just want to see what you do!" Hongjoong assures him. Seonghwa looks at him for a second, assessing his answer, and then shrugs, beginning to stand up.

"In that case…"

Hongjoong grins in triumph, trying to stand up too, but remembering he still has a lapful of forest spirit.

"It was really nice meeting you, San," he says truthfully to the spirit, who flashes him a dimpled smile.

"It was really nice meeting you too, Hongjoongie," he says back, removing his arms from around Hongjoong. "Take good care of Seonghwa for me, yeah?"

Hongjoong raises his eyebrows at the bizarre request, but nods anyway. "I will."

"Very well, I won't entertain you any longer, then," San tells him, getting off of his lap and helping Hongjoong stand up. "I'm gonna go check on Jongho, you two have fun."

"Bye, Sannie," Seonghwa says, accepting a quick hug from the spirit. "We'll see you on Friday."

"Yes, Friday! I'm so excited!" San jumps and claps his hands. "Can't wait."

"Me neither," Hongjoong confesses, and he and San hug once more before the spirit soundlessly walks over to the pond again, waving at them with a hand before dissipating into thin mist again.

"Let's go?" Seonghwa asks, something soft dancing in his eyes. Hongjoong smiles at him.

"Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/thewintersobber)

**Author's Note:**

> As always, find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thewintersobber)


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